Best Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

This is sooooo good! I just used reg white bread & altho I added 4 extra slices, I don't think it was enough because the pudding was a little too mushy for my taste. My fault tho, not the recipe's. If I use reg bread again, I think I would use at least 6 extras, possibly even more. The vanilla sauce is totally different than other vanilla sauce I've had/made before. It's thicker, like a thinned out pudding, so it kind of spreads over the bread pudding, instead of soaking down into the bread. It threw me at first but I really liked it! 1 more note, I put mine into a 3 qt dish because that's what I had availble. It baked perfectly in that size, puffing up over the top, but not spilling over & I didn't have to cover it at all, it was perfectly golden. Of course, it deflated while cooling(normal). I'm not sure mine would've fit into a 2 qt dish, as called for in the recipe.

This was tasty. Although, it is really sweet! I didn't have farm house bread, but the recipe said to use a "hearty" style bread, so I used bread from a homemade loaf I made the other day. I only had a small 1.5 oz box of raisins, and just used that. I don't care for raisins that much anyway. After 1 hour of baking I noticed the bread had risen to the top and the sauce was on the bottom. I stirred it lightly and then put it back in the oven for 10 minutes, and it thickened up fine. The bread pudding was very sweet, like I had said, so I do wish I would have cut back the sugar some. The sauce did have a nice brown sugar and vanilla taste. However, it is also really sweet and does thicken up almost immedietely after it cools just slightly. It might have to be thinned out a little, with some milk or cream, especially if using it the next day.

This is the best Bread Pudding I have ever made! Everyone raved. I used a 1 lb loaf of Italian Bread and increased the servings to 12 (backed the white sugar down to 1 3/4 cups) and left the vanilla sauce at 8 servings. Absolutely perfect in every way. Thank you, SouthernGma for sharing this recipe. It will be used often and passed on to the family.

Excellent! I cut all of the sugars in half and it's still plenty sweet. Also cut butter back slightly. I used a large loaf of Italian bread cut into 1 1/2" cubes, well toasted in the preheating oven for about 10 minutes. I think that's the secret to it not being overly soggy. Used 2 1/2 C skim milk plus 1/2 C half & half in the pudding part, and in the sauce 1 C skim milk and 1/4 C half & half. Plenty rich. Will make this often!

This is excellent! Even my super picky husband loved it. Used toasted, cubed french bread and substituted finely chopped green apples for raisins (didn't have any) I added more cinnamon than called for to the bread pudding and the sauce (we love our cinnamon). This was just excellent. Thank you, SouthernGma!

Absolute pure comfort for a fall, blustery day. Everyone is lickin their lips and rubbing their satisfied bellies in this house. I made it exactly as written. Next time, which will be real soon, I will try apple chunks and cranberries instead of raisins, and I might even flambé a little rum into the sauce just for fun. No changes are needed, just to add a little variety. Thanks Southern Grandma, I knew it had to be good if it came from your Mom's Bible...only very special things are kept there.

My pudding separated and curdled and is soggy. Can someone tell me what went wrong? Some say 375 is way too hot. I did quadruple the recipe to serve at church and allowed extra time testing for doneness along the way. Both pans turned out the same. Never had this happen before using another recipe.

Excellent! The only thing I did different was I heated the milk because I wanted to make sure the sugar was fully dissolved. The family loved the bread pudding with the vanilla sauce on top. Thank you for a nice recipe.

Extremely good. The Wife requested I add additional fruits. I complied by making a special one with a dried fruit blend substituted for the raisins and increased it to 1 1/2 cup as well. Excellent. The Sauce is very very good. Recommend using quality vanilla in the sauce as it is noticeable if you use the cheap stuff.

As written, the sweetness is megawatt. But the basics were there, so I tinkered. The second time I cut the sugar back to 1 cup, and whereas it was better, it was still too much for me. It was OK that way if you don't plan to top it with the sauce. But we discovered the right proportion when serving the sauce was a mere 3/4 cup of sugar. BOO ya! That allowed the vanilla sauce to fulfill the role of complementing the rich, homey goodness of the pudding and pointing up the delicate cinnamon whisper. I added the grated peel of one lemon, which contributed a nice foil to the creamy richness, and made the orchestration of luxurious tastes shine. All in all, the recipe posted is a decent foundation, but it needed a major reduction in sugar to appeal to our palates.

I've made a LOT of bread puddings and this one is my favorite. I did use 3/4 cup of 1/2 & 1/2 and the 2 1/4 cups of skim milk but otherwise followed the recipe. I didn't make the sauce since my picky hubby doesn't like "sauce" on his bread pudding. Anyway, it was the perfect way to use up some old hamburger/hotdog buns! The 1/2 tsp of cinnamon was absolutely perfect, just a hint of cinnimonny flavor (if that's a word!). We love it cold from the fridge. This is now my go-to recipe for bread pudding! Thanks Gail for the great recipe.

this was excellent! i went to louisiana last spring break and was first introduced to the joy of bread pudding at a cajun restaurant. this recipe was very similar to the dessert i had enjoyed then, and i was so glad to be able to bring it back to my family (and a dinner guest). just the perfect ending to a barbecue dinner!

Made this for my wifes quilting club and they loved it!! Used diced canned peaches because the wife does not prefer raisins. Used "Los Cinco Soles" vanilla in the sauce. Very deep vanilla flavor. Wonderful recipe!!

Delicious! I halved the recipe ( used 2 eggs) & didn't make the sauce (was out of brown sugar). I doubled the cinnamon & used stale hambuger buns. This is sooo good!

wow this is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe!

I love bread pudding, I love cinnamon and I love this recipe. Last month I made the bread pudding in foil cake pans, froze it and had it ready for the next holiday or need for a dessert. I put the frozen bread pudding in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes & loosely covered the top with foil. Meanwhile I made the sauce. I only increased the cinnamon to 1 tsp. When the bread was hot, I covered it with the sauce and served it. Sweet and delicious!!!!!

This was really good and easy to make. Loved the flavor of the raisins and the vanilla sauce. My guys loved it!

I have made this dish several times and each time it gets better and better. I bake it mostly as the recipe entails, but will usually substitute heavy or light cream for the whole milk. I also don't like raisins, so I'll substitute dried cranberry or chocolate chips. Very delicious and I will continue to make this for years to come.

This is the best bread pudding recipe ever. It may take a little more time in preparation for the sauce but is well worth it in taste.

I followed the advice of another reviewer and substituted 10 toasted hamburger bun halves in place of the bread. What a wonderful way to use them up. I also used half and half in place of the whole milk. This is definitely a keeper.

I made this with leftover powdered donuts and cinnamon donuts. My husband's coworkers loved it! Update 9/8/2013: Made this again with glazed and old fashioned sour cream donuts. Another hit!

This recipe is perfection! Here in Texas, we eat bread pudding for breakfast, so I did make slight changes to make it a breakfast pudding. I skipped the white sugar and used 3/4 cup of brown sugar instead. We use almond milk in our family, so I used almond milk instead of milk, and it turned out just perfect. I had some bread from Sprouts that was made with walnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, and cinnamon. This bread was going to mold if I didn't use it up (we got it in the clearance for a dollar!), so this is what I used. I didn't need to add any raisins, because this bread is just packed with them. I did add a chopped honeycrisp apple, though. I made it in my dutch oven, which worked perfectly. The sauce is delicious! I can't stop tasting it. I added a tablespoon of coconut oil to it just for the heck of it (I need to add weight to my adult son, so making it higher calorie was a good idea). To keep the sauce from being lumpy, and to keep it smooth, I wisked it the entire time it was cooking - just like you would do a good gravy. It is perfectly smooth and saucy. I will be making this again... and again and again and again.

This was amazing! I ran out of brown sugar when it came time to make the pudding the first time and used 1/4C brown and 1/4 C white and it was so good that when I made it according to the directions the second time my family requested I make it "my way". I had a large crowd of picky children tonight who don't like raisins or bread pudding, but they ate every bite and even asked for seconds! Kudos to the person who posted this!! Right now I'm on a high calorie soft food "diet" (for lack of better words) for health related reasons (and I had teeth pulled) and I LOVE this recipie!! Thx for sharing

I don't say this often, but too, too sweet! For me anyway. I didn't make the vanilla sauce, and used leftover potato rolls. The taste was delicious, though, and I will try again with seriously, half of the sugar. But I guess that's just personal preference. I'm also interested in trying the sauce next time. Thank you!

DELICIOUS!! The whole family loved it. Even those that never liked bread pudding. I will definitely be making this again!

This turned out wonderful. The best bread pudding I've tried. Ever.

I MADE THIS DISH AND TOOK TO WORK AND THEY SIMPLY RAVED OVER IT. I TOOK SOMEONES SUGGESTION AND USE HEAVY CREAM INSTEAD OF MILK AND I ALSO LET IT SIT OVERNIGHT IN THE FRIDGE BEFORE BAKING. WILL USE THIS RECIPE FOR NOW ON. GREAT STUFF.

really good but not the best. however the vanilla sauce is what makes this recipe stand out from all the other recipes on this site! i love the sauce and it goes perfectly with the bread pudding!

I had never had bread pudding so I thought I would try it. This was delicious - my whole family loved it! I had baked some bread from a recipe on this site and used it instead of store bought, and I thought it was great. I also didn't add raisins because some don't like them. This is definitely the only recipe I will use! Thank you for sharing!

Delish! I used hamburger buns (toasted) and about 1/2c of raisins. Just wonderful!!!! And so great to not have to make a HUGE pan. Thanks!

Very good! I used fresh blueberries instead of raisins. I agree on using less sugar and more bread. I really like the sauce as well. I did use the heavy cream because that is what i always used before when making bread pudding. Thanks for sharing!

Very good bread pudding. Rich and delicious!! I will only make this for really special occasions because it is way too fattening.

I followed this recipe, but used a cup of coconut milk and added pecans instead of raisins. I also added a pinch of nutmeg and shredded coconut to pudding. I didn't need the vanilla sauce. I added whipped cream. I LOVED IT! MAKE THIS, IT'S EASY! YOU WILL CERTAINLY BE GLAD YOU DID!

This is just so good! I had problems with the sauce so I used a caramel sauce I like. Soooo yummy! Thanks SouthernGma! I made this again with the sauce, turned out fine this time. Still great!

This was delicious and easy to make. The only change I made was to decrease the sugar to a little under 1 cup, since others said that with 1 1/2 cups of sugar it was a little too sweet. It came out perfect! Thanks for this great recipe.

This is just so good! I had problems with the sauce so I used a caramel sauce I like. Soooo yummy! Thanks SouthernGma! I made this again with the sauce, turned out fine this time. Still great!

Made this recipe for my husband and guests last night. I had never made or eaten bread pudding before last night. It was extremely easy to make and was utterly delicious! A total hit, and the vanilla sauce was wonderful!

I made this recipe just about an hour ago since my husband is a big fan of bread pudding. It turned out AMAZINGLY GREAT!!! I followed the recipe exactly except I omitted the raisins - not a fan - and I used a 1 lb loaf of Italian bread. DELICIOUS! Thanks for this recipe!

Delicious! Thanks for the great tip of using frozen old hamburger or other rolls from your freezer! A great way to use up old bread. I toasted all of my cubed bread and no sogginess. Tip: I think I cooked the sauce too long, since it tasted a bit eggy and custard-like. Be careful to not overcook your sauce.

I would give this recipe 5 stars just for the vanilla sauce!! Once I test a recipe, I only keep those which get raves from my husband, and he declared this one a "KEEPER!!" after the first bite. Delicious.

Exceeded my expectations! I had three half loaves of white italian / wheat italian / bakery white bread, threw them un the toaster and/or in the oven to toast up before mixing them in. I think I may have used more than the 10 slices but my mixture was heavily moist but not soupy when I put it in the pans. I used 2 8x8 disposable brownie pans, fit perfectly. Baked in 1 hr and didn't cover. Also didn't have a cup of raisins so threw in a handful of craisins. Equally delicious.

very tasty, but as others have said, FAR, far too much sugar. for the record i didn't make the accompanying sauce.

i just made the sauce. the flavor was good, but the egg curdled. probably my fault, but i didn't like it enough to try again. on the up side, it was not as sweet as some other sauces i've tried.

Amazing! I wouldn't change a thing in this recipe. The vanilla sauce is what makes this recipe stand out, so make sure you don't skip it!! If you don't like things too sweet, than cut down on the sugar a bit, but otherwise this is heavenly!

I had some "Advent Bread" (White bread with a pinch of Cardamon) left and used this! I am no Bread Pudding fan, but this one was super yummy! The only thing I added was dark choc drops!! Was liked by all my family!!

Work at a school and we had leftover cinnamon toast so I decided to make this bread pudding with that. Wow...was it good!! Because of the others backing off so much sugar and with what sugar was on the toast I only used about half of a cup, still stayed with the same amount of cinnamon but added a little more milk and one more egg because I felt it really needed that extra moisture (might have had more bread than what was stated too) It turned out wonderful!! The sauce is a must too because it really sets it off, I could pour that stuff over anything and it would be good! Well done, Southern Grandma!!

I am actually rating the Vanilla Sauce as I made a different Bread Pudding recipe. The sauce is light and delicious. I will make it again.

Amazing! I don't even like bread pudding, I made this for my husband and I loved it! He loved it too and even went on to say it was the best bread pudding he had ever had (And he's from the South.)! I made it exactly like the recipe. It was perfect! Everybody should try this one.

This was great. I only made a couple of small changes - we hate raisins so I used a handful of chocolate chips in their place. Instead of putting the bread into the egg mixture and then pouring it into the greased pan, I put the cubed bread in the greased casserole dish, sprinkled the chocolate chips on top, and then poured the egg mixture over it. I then pushed the bread that hadn't been soaked under to make sure it was all soaked. I made it in the morning and just heated it up in the oven while we were eating the main course and then while I was making the vanilla sauce. Delicious - thank you so much!

I accidentally omitted all of the white sugar from this recipe and it was still really good.... more breakfasty than desserty this way though.

This was amazing!!! The second time I made it I made a few changes, I added craisins insted of plain rasins, also added a bit of pumpkin pie spice to it, very yummy!!!!

This was a hit! The Vanilla Sauce is 'to die for'.

This was amazing. I used 1% milk and about 3/4 cup of sugar. I also used french bread sliced and toasted. Easy and always have items on hand. This is a winner. Doesn't even need the vanila sauce!

I used this recipe for dessert tonight... it was the BEST i ever had...i only used 1 cup of sugar and 2.5 cups of milk for the bread pudding came out perfect........ i did make the sauce which was good but i can do without it..... after the bread pudding cooled it taste even better...MY NEW RECIPE!!!!!!

I changed up the recipe quite a bit. I only used 1 cup sugar and used 2% milk for both pudding and sauce. For the bread I went to a local bakery and purchased a loaf of cinnamon bread. I also used dark brown sugar for both giving a nice rich flavor and darkening the sauce given a caramel color. Very tasty! Family loved it.

My husband, kids, and grands all loved this! I will definitely be fixing this again. The only change I will make is to cook it for a full hour.

This reminds me of my Grandmas excellent bread pudding! So decadent, so Southern and so perfect.I didnt have raisins so I used canned diced peaches. Turned out fantastic! I give this a 10. Thank you for sharing!

To save calories, we serve with powdered sugar instead of the sauce. Very delicious, and simple to make, and a great way to use up eggs and milk and bread. Thanks! For a twist, try chopped dried apricots or cherries!

This was a great recipe. Next time I will try it with the sauce, I used sub bread thanks for that tip SouthernGma.

Excellent vanilla sauce! Serve all warm.

Excellent recipe as written! Some reviewers have experienced too dry or to "wet" of consistency after baking. Breads/types vary and you can't just go by "10 slices". For example, I used French bread that I sliced and toasted in the toaster. I toasted 9 slices but only ended up using 8. It is important to go by the visual ratios of liquid with the bread. I could see after adding 7 slices, it was still a little heavy on the remaining liquid so I added one more slice. The baked consistency was heavenly. The ratio of bread within the custard resulted in moist but not the least bit "soggy" bread pudding. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this dessert. And the sauce... YUMMY and I think it is best served over individual servings.

I made with 1cup 2% milk & half of a cup evaporated milk. Added a splash of vanilla coffee creamer for extra flavor (taken from one review). I wasn't thrilled with this recipe, although I may have made it wrong. I've never tasted bread pudding before to know much of the difference. Found it very soggy. Reminded me of cake dropped in a bowl of water. :(

My buggy LOVED it. Not a huge fan of the vanilla sauce... but I haven't tinkered with it much yet. I may try to find something different to pair with it.

Too much milk I even cut it back knowing it would be too much milk and it still made this bread pudding mushy, it was nasty! I will stick to my old recipe it’s firm not mushy!

I had some 2 day old wholewheat buns full of seeds and raisins baked by my brother. Cut them into cubes and threw in some raisins and sultanas. Used brown sugar only. I should have read the reviews. Was way too sweet but turned out well. Will reduce sugar next time. Thanks.

I have never made bread pudding before and this was wonderful! We couldn't eat enough of it.

WOW !!!!!

I will make this again! The one problem I had was my ability to make the vanilla sauce. Next time, I'll use an egg yolk, not the whole egg because my sauce "curdled". Otherwise, this is my go-to recipe for bread pudding!

This was my first foray into making bread pudding. My mother made it when I was young and her best friend who is from Panama, made the best bread pudding ever!! Everyone loved the pudding. I used 2 loaves of raisin bread and I added a little rum to the pudding and the sauce. My family and friends are asking when will I make more..

quick and easy!!!! works with any kind of bread.

Delicious. I made 1/2 recipe in a meatloaf pan and it turned out great. The sauce was a bit lumpy and I can't figure out how to avoid that. Maybe sift in the flour? I don't know. Anyway, it was very good and I am a huge bread pudding fan.

Next time use 1/2 as much flour or use corn starch in sauce

I definitely want to give this recipe another try, but with WAY less sugar. I followed the recipe exactly and it was incredibly sweet. Even for someone like me that has such a sweet tooth! To me, bread pudding should be slightly sweet and comforting. Not so sweet that it leaves you nauseous! I do, however, like the addition of a sauce. That's something I haven't really seen before, and made this bread pudding a bit special. If I can figure out the proper sweetness, I think this could end up being a winter tradition.

Great recipe, wasn't crazy about the vanilla sauce, too eggy tasting. I am not a fan of bread pudding, but the familly loves it so just wanted to try it and I must say it was delicious. And I took a pretty pic too :)

This recipe is fantastic and what is even better is it can be tweaked to taste. I halved the sugar (to 3/4c) like many others suggested (I honestly can't imagine any more sugar than that, especially if the pudding is served with the vanilla sauce). I also upped the cinnamon to 2 heaping tsps and added around 1/2-3/4 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg. We don't really like raisins, so I omitted them. I also opted for challah. Incredible. This is the second time I've made this recipe and everyone is always pleased.

I have never had bread pudding before so i didnt know what to expect. Its too sweet so I cant eat as much of it as i would like. Its also very mushy but considering it is a type of pudding i guess thats normal. My sauce came out lumpy also. I dont know how to avoid that. But the overall taste was very good and the house smelled wonderful.

Loved this recipe with a few adjustments. I used a small (8X8) glass dish, so I reduced the ingredients by 1/3, used 8 slices of bread (crust on) and added dried cranberries instead of raisins. To prevent over browning I baked it for 20 minutes on 350 and increased to 375 for additional 35 minutes. And to finish I topped it caramel sauce instead of vanilla. Excellent!!

I made this bread pudding and it was absolutely delicious. I think I messed up on the sauce but it was still delicious, the sauce just didn't look so good. It looked buttery like the butter separated and I couldn't get it to thicken up that much. But the taste of the sauce and bread pudding was perfect.

I made this recipe for a family get together, every one loved it! I used frenchbread and tore it into pieces it was a hit!!!!! this recipe is a keeper!!!!!

I made this recipe for my family yesterday, they had never eaten bread pudding prior to me making it. I followed the recipe, however, I did use a combination of whole milk, 1% milk, and heavy whipping cream for both the pudding and the vanilla sauce. Instead of pouring the sauce on separately, I mixed my sauce in the pudding and baked ait a little longer....turned out just like my grandma used to make....DELICIOUS!

I made this tonight, and my kids WOW'd loud!! I made it as written in the recipe with the exception of the Vanilla sauce - I added a bit more vanilla extract based on my taste preference. Otherwise this was soft, sweet and just a lovely dessert :) Two thumbs up for this one!

Delicious - I added walnuts, craisins and raisins and it was yummy!

Very think & moist! We used whatever bread we had laying around.

This is my FAVORITE bread pudding recipe. A few notes: If you don't have whole milk, I like to do a mix of whatever milk I have (we never buy more than 2% ) and some light cream. If you don't like your bread pudding mushy, I prefer to use a dense bread like ciabatta or sourdough and toast it. Using leftover white bread will make it collapse a lot and mushier in the middle (and any leftover milk that didn't absorb will curdle.) Sourdough makes a mountain of a pudding! I just use a whole loaf. Also, I've made the vanilla sauce but it's a little heavy for my taste- I make a lighter bourbon sauce with a few Tbsp butter, 1/4c brown sugar, a splash of bourbon and a tsp of vanilla. Any sauce leftover makes a great ice cream topping! My S/O is a good old southern boy and he says this is the best bread pudding he's ever had- and his favorite dessert that I make!

Excellent. I've made this a few times and everyone has really liked it. I normally use left over hamburger buns from the camping season that are sitting in the freezer at Christmas time.

Yummy!

I cut the sugar in half, and it was plenty sweet. If I had used the amount of sugar in the recipe, it would have been WAY too much. Plus, the milk curdled in the sauce when cooked on medium heat, so the cooking temp needs to be lower. Overall, it was very yummy though.

Made it today and all I can say is WOW. This was an absolutely delicious recipe and I will look no further for a better one. This turned out superbly!!! So yummy!!! I used half challah and half dense country white. Delicious.

This is the best bread pudding I've ever had! The only think I changed is the milk. I didn't have enough whole milk, so I used about 3/4 cup or so of heavy cream. Other than that, do not change a thing! This will be my go-to dessert for company. The vanilla sauce is a must! LOVE!

Vanilla sauce makes it so, so good. I used day-old french bread, tore it into pieces, and let it sit out overnight.

This was a big hit at breakfast today! Excellent recipe for bread pudding. Having said that, I doubled the recipe and used one loaf of french bread, which worked out proportionally. I did NOT double the sugar and was glad I had not. We just don't need or want foods sweeter than necessary. It must have worked because my son-in-law requested that I keep making this one instead of a different recipe. And one guest had a third serving! The vanilla sauce was also very good, though we have been known to use whiskey sauce. I will try making this same sauce and adding some whiskey next time. I served it will a huge bowl of fresh sweetened strawberries which drew juice--also making the bread pudding delicious. Thanks for a great new favorite!

Had a bunch of bagels, cinnamon raisin conveniently. Used 6 total for this recipe and as others noted, it puffed past my 2.75 qt dish but settled out perfect. Went with 1 cup white and 1/2 cup brown for main, love the added chewy of brown. Also added a 1/3 cup slivered almonds to the top. Can't wait to make again!!

Used a bit less sugar and 2% milk. I keep quart size bags of bread pieces in the freezer which is the perfect amount to make a bread pudding. My husband just texted me from work to say that this was the best I've made yet. Thanks for the recipe.

I used rum sauce from another recipe, but the bread pudding in this recipe was excellent! I will definitely make again!

I was making a bread pudding today, using another bread pudding recipe on here but after I put it in the oven I decided I wanted to make a sauce with it. I always make it without a sauce. I found this recipe while searching and thought I would try it. I realize it's not exactly fair to rate a partial recipe, but I try to rate every recipe I make. Well, this is only a review for the sauce that goes with this bread pudding(which, I am sure is fabulous, and I will be making for sure). The sauce was great! It was not overly sweet, in my opinion, and was rich and silky. I will serve my bread pudding with a sauce from now on:) Thanks for sharing!

I was skeptical at first, I didnt think there was such a easy recipe for something so amazing. I'm giving this 5 stars! amazing flavor! super easy to make! brings back so many memories of when I lived up north!

Just ok. Needed to be more "custardly"

I have made the recipe, and it is stunning!!! I’m using 50-50 milk and whipping cream, for extra richness bread pudding, also adding peach on top to make it pretty. It is really good and thanks for the great recipe ????

Good recipe. But I added alittle more cinnamon and also nutmeg. So good.